Thursday, October 16, 2008

Newest Yard Art or Notes of a Political Rebel

This was in my yard a mere five hours before I had a neighborly comment! It was said with good humor, but the message was clear. I wish I had been asked why I am supporting the Democratic candidate. But it seems that we are incapable of having open discussions about this issue which I find incredibly sad.

You can see that I'm most likely in a major minority! FWIW, I was in that majority four years ago, but so much has happened in the last four years that has caused me to question every assumption I've ever held. It is this questioning and coming to new answers that has changed where I stand. The sad thing for me is that I'm honestly a little afraid of having that sign in my yard. In fact, my mother said when she heard I was putting it up that she hoped our house doesn't get egged! It says something about me sure, but it certainly doesn't tell the whole story. I fully expect to get the cold shoulder from a few neighbors now that they "know" I'm a flaming (their word, not mine) liberal. The problem is they don't really know me because the truth is I'm mostly a moderate with some liberal leanings and more than a few conservative leanings. Yet, this is what we have devolved into: you are either an extreme this or an extreme that. I can't find the stat now, but I once read that nearly 70% of voters are neither far right nor far left. Yet we want to label others as such immediately.

There are two big issues driving my decision this year. One, is my strong belief that moral issues are not the realm of government. This is not to say that I agree with one sides beleifs on moral issues more than the other, only to say that I'm very disappointed in the Republican parties focus on issues of morality over the needs of our country. It troubles me that people are distracted by these issues in a classic case of missing the forest for the trees. The second, and really most important, is that I admire and fully agree with Obama's tendency toward diplomacy over aggression in the world arena.

5 comments:

Amen to all that girl! I am in the same boat as you. I have always considered myself an independent. I consider it idiotic to vote for a candidate strictly because of their party affiliation. Think for yourselves people! This campaign has just about turned me into a democrat because I am so disgusted at the republican party and the strict republicans that I know that spread all of this false crap and send me emails that have no merit but that they pass off as fact rather than the fiction they really are. I have a sign in my yard and if they would hurry up and my magnetic car sticker is on the way. I have never donated to an election before but I did this one. And I'll tell you something else, we have gotten the cold shoulder, outright hostility and aggression and emails trying to get us to come to our senses. What a shame that our country can't see past race and party. Even my own mother can't have a civil conversation with me about it and actually hasn't even bothered to talk to me in almost 3 weeks. Here's what I have to say, if you want to talk about the issues, I'm happy to do it. If you want to slander a good man and spread false information then I don't have time for you.

Oops! I sure didn't mean to unload here on you. I'm just so tired of it all. I sure hope that we are celebrating on election day.

I do not agree 100% on everything Obama stands for, but I do agree on a lot - and a lot more than what McCain stands for.

I do not think that I need to - or could possibly - agree with everything 100% with anyone all of the time. That does not mean I don't think that Obama would not make a fantastic President. If elected, will there be things he proposes that I may disagree with? Certainly. Will everything he proposes be made into law? Not necessarily (we currently have a pro-life President and we still have legal abortions).

I,too, am surrounded by red and I certainly don't whisper my political beliefs within my small house church. *sigh* I get the feeling from many conservatives that voting Democrat is akin to being a degenerate. As if I don't have as good of values or morals as they do. Like you, I just see that there are more than one or two issues on which to base my decision. I don't believe that God prefers one political party to another, just as He does not prefer one person to another.

There are simply too many issues that need attention to continue believing in "trickle down" and "my way (USA's) or the highway" thinking.

I actually grew up in Bedford... do you know where that is? Right in the middle of DFW. We've been trying to sell our house since March and are hoping it'll sell, but in this day it's hard to tell if it will.

If we can't let our views be known, we may as well live in Nazi Germany. It shouldn't have to take bravery to put up a sign. And people need to respect the other view. Too much me, me, me in the world, I fear.